Well... whatever OS you use, you will always need a few extra software, whether development software or applications. True, if these are not provided by computer magazines, one has to generally download them from the internet. But thats one thing that all the LUGs (Linux User Groups) help in, if you have a LUG in your city, there is likely to be a kind fellow out there who has an unlimited internet connection, and will send the distro/software you need for the cost of shipping it. Magazines like Chip/Digit also provide linux software these days.
Further, most linux distro's ship with helluva lot of software (office suites, browsers, games, image editors and what not), making them ideal for those without internet connections.
Yes, as regards to development software, things like Redhat, Suse etc, being aimed at home users, dont even install gcc by default! But basic development packages are still provided as options. With something like KDE installed, you have IDE's with it too (KDevelop)
If you don't like the installation CD layout, try slackware, it provides a base linux system, X Windows, development packages, kernel source and Applications (console & X) on the first CD, with optional stuff like KDE & Gnome on the second. And yes, dev packages are installed by default. As linux packages are small and slackware ones can be found on
www.linuxpackages.net , they are not hard to get.